


Jump the Language Barrier

by bittersourPlum



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Autistic Ushijima Wakatoshi, Fluff, Kegayema and Hinata know sign language too, Light ableism, M/M, Mute Ushijima Wakatoshi, Oikawa knows sign language, Selectively Mute Kageyama Tobio, Semi Eita uses they/them pronouns, Supportive Tendou Satori, Tendou is a good friend, Tendou teaches everyone sign language, Ushi recalls some shitty people, Ushijima Wakatoshi-centric, bc why not, but it's just mentioned, he talks only to Hinata and a little during games, it's like... once in this fic but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:40:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29803746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittersourPlum/pseuds/bittersourPlum
Summary: Ushijima is mute.It's the first time someone learns sign language for him.
Relationships: Shiratorizawa Academy Volleyball Club & Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tendou Satori & Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 24
Kudos: 201





	Jump the Language Barrier

Talking to Wakatoshi is a pain for other people. He knows it. To answer a question he has to think first about what he wants to say and then write his answer down on a piece of paper or his phone, which takes some time. People talk to him only when they absolutely have to. Wakatoshi knows it, and is okay with it. It’s been like this for years.

When he goes to the Shiratorizawa Academy, he doesn’t expect to have many, if any, friends. His roommate seems to have better things to do. He tried to talk with Wakatoshi at first, but gave up when he learned that he’s mute. His classmates are the same; curious at first, but quickly losing their interest. It’s fine. It wasn’t any different in middle school.

Coach Washijou doesn’t mind. As long as Wakatoshi scores points and can somehow communicate with the rest of the team, he doesn’t say anything about Wakatoshi’s muteness. Wakatoshi can play and that’s all that matters to him. He even got to the first squad right away.

The problem is the rest of the team, though. The second and third years aren’t too happy that a first year not only took their place in the first squad, but also that they have to pay extra attention to their new teammate. Wakatoshi won’t yell for a toss or call out to receive the ball like the rest; the team has to watch out for him, so they won’t collide or lose the point.

There are also other first years. Quite a lot of them, honestly. But they don’t seem interested in Wakatoshi either. A tall, lanky boy with red hair tried to talk to him once, but was quickly discouraged by one of the other first years. It’s okay, Wakatoshi tells himself. He couldn’t answer anyway.

* * *

A few weeks have passed and Wakatoshi is finding himself in the company of the redheaded boy, Tendou Satori, most of the time. Tendou doesn’t seem to mind that Wakatoshi’s mute. He talks a lot and whenever Wakatoshi has to answer, Tendou waits patiently for him to write everything down. He’s never asked Wakatoshi why he doesn’t talk or tried to encourage him to try and say something. Which is nice. A lot of people want to somehow "fix" Wakatoshi’s muteness and try to force him to make certain sounds or "make an effort and learn to talk finally".

Tendou, however, forces him to read Shounen Jump instead. It’s not that bad, Wakatoshi decides. He has little interest in the manga, but at least he understands what Tendou is talking about all the time.

The middle blocker visits Wakatoshi’s dorm or asks Wakatoshi to visit him whenever they have the time. They do homework together, despite being in different classes. He’s always Wakatoshi’s stretch partner and sticks close during the practice. It’s nice. Almost like having a friend.

Wakatoshi once asked Tendou, why is he spending so much time with him.

"Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with my friend?" was the answer.

Wakatoshi decides to believe that they are friends.

* * *

Wakatoshi wakes up, changes into his sports clothes and goes on a morning jog. When he comes back, he showers, changes into his day clothes and goes to the school cafeteria for breakfast. It’s his usual routine. Since the last four weeks it’s been interrupted by Tendou, who happily sits in front of Wakatoshi with a loud greeting before he starts to ramble about everything and nothing.

Today though, something is different.

Wakatoshi blinks slowly at Tendou's hands. He knows that sign. " _Good morning_ " is what Tendou's hands just said. It's not anything special, but Wakatoshi isn't sure if he's ever seen anyone sign to him, except for his parents and therapist.

"You look like you just saw a ghost, Wakatoshi-kun!" Tendou laughs loudly, but it's not a mocking laugh. It’s Tendou’s happy laugh. Wakatoshi likes when Tendou laughs. It sounds nice. He sometimes wishes he could laugh with Tendou.

"I’ve been practicing when you weren’t looking," the redhead beams. "It’s not that difficult, you know? I mean, you clearly know! Still, go easy on me, okay? I’m no pro, but I’ll do my best to get everything right!"

Wakatoshi stares for a few minutes at Tendou with wide eyes. Tendou has been learning sign language? Why? No one else uses it. Wakatoshi is the only mute student in Shiratorizawa, as far as he’s concerned. Sure, it could be useful in the future and will look nicely on Tendou’s skill list on his resume. But at the same time, Tendou is full of mysteries. He probably learned it on a whim.

Wakatoshi lifts his hand a little hesitantly.

" _Okay ._ "

Tendou snorts.

"Well, you don’t have to go THAT easy on me!" he says, patting Wakatoshi’s back.

Then Tendou starts rambling about the newest issue of the Shounen Jump, like he usually does during their meals together. The wing spiker can’t ignore the warm feeling spreading in his chest. Now whenever he wants to add something, he slowly signs it. Tendou seems really happy whenever he does that.

The rest of the day goes on uneventful. There’s not much going on during the morning and practice, classes or the afternoon practice. Wakatoshi doesn’t even see Tendou for most of the day, save for practice. But the redhead seems to be occupied with annoying Semi today.

  
  


"Wakatoshi-kuun!~" Tendou yells behind him.

Wakatoshi was just heading to his dorm after the afternoon practice, but he stopped to wait for the middle blocker.

"Do you want to come over?" Tendou basically hangs on Wakatoshi’s arm. "My roommate has some project, so he’ll be out for the rest of the day."

Wakatoshi nods, not being too opposed to spending more time with Tendou. He stops by his room only to leave his bag there, and heads to Tendou’s dorm.

The redhead jumps on his bed and pats the mattress next to him, instructing Wakatoshi to sit next to him.

"So, so," Tendou starts, his eyes shining, "I’ve read that in sign language you don’t really use names, right?" He doesn’t wait for Wakatoshi to react in any way. "Soooo, I was thinking if we can give each other nicknames? I already have one in mind!"

Tendou lifts his right hand, his pinky finger and thumb extended, and brings it to his forehead. " _Bull_ ". Wakatoshi blinks at him, confused.

" _Do you want me to call you that?_ ", he asks, making sure he’s signing slowly, his heart beating too fast for his liking. Tendou bursts into laughter.

"No, silly! It was for you! Cus you’re so big and strong, like a bull!"

Wakatoshi supposes that would make more sense.

"Now give me one," Tendou moves closer on the bed, looking at Wakatoshi with a wide smile.

The wing spiker actually has to think about it. Tendou looks like this whole nickname giving is something exciting for him and Wakatoshi doesn’t want to disappoint his friend. He thinks about all the things he knows about the redhead. He clearly likes manga, is a very talented middle blocker, collects pretty rocks that he finds on sidewalks and watches My Little Pony. None of these things would give Wakatoshi a good nickname. He’s also seen Tendou devouring alarming amounts of sweets. Despite his relatively small appetite, Tendou could probably empty all the shelfs of a pastry store. But, ultimately, his favorite food is… chocolate ice cream.

_"Chocolate._ " Wakatoshi signs.

"Chocolate?" Tendou tilts his head, examining Wakatoshi’s hands like he’s looking at some math problem he doesn’t understand. Then, he smiles. "Yeah… Yeah, I like that! Thanks, Wakatoshi-kun!"

* * *

"Ushijima-san!" one of the other first years yells. They’re still in the gym, cleaning up after practice. Wakatoshi looks at the boy. He doubts they’ve ever interacted before. Wakatoshi doesn’t even know his name. "Do you have time tomorrow after practice? Could you show me how you serve? Your serves are really amazing!"

_"Can’t, homework._ " Wakatoshi signs, his hands moving before his brain has a chance to think. The boy looks at him confused, clearly not understanding. Wakatoshi scolds himself. He got too used to Tendou understanding sign language. He literally doesn’t talk with anyone else, he forgot that he can't just sign to everyone and Tendou’s not here-

"He says he has homework tomorrow," Semi suddenly says. Both Wakatoshi and the other boy look at them surprised.

Semi just shrugs at them. "Tendou’s been teaching me and Oohira for some time now. Or rather forced us to learn."

Wakatoshi watches Semi walk away like nothing just happened. Like telling someone that you’ve been learning sign language for them is something that some people do every day. Wakatoshi doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand, but he feels happy. And Oohira, too? Why is Tendou doing that?

* * *

" _Have you been teaching Ash and Lion sign language?_ " Wakatoshi asks Tendou one time. Ash and Lion are nicknames they’ve given to Semi and Oohira. Well, more like Tendou assigned them, but Wakatoshi’s fine with them. They’re easy to remember.

Tendou’s lips stretch into a wide smile.

"I am, Wakatoshi-kun!" he chirps happily. "Other first years bailed out after the first lesson or didn’t attend at all, and our senpais didn’t even want to hear about it, but yeah! What, do you want to attend as well?"

" _Why?_ "

"Why! He’s asking why!" Tendou throws his hands in the air, and then immediately cups Wakatoshi’s face and looks deeply into his eyes. "Oh, Wakatoshi-kun, how are we supposed to be a team if we can’t understand you?"

Wakatoshi’s heart definitely is beating too fast.

* * *

By the end of the first year Tendou is almost fluent in sign language and can understand Wakatoshi signing at a normal pace. He also took the role of Wakatoshi’s "official translator". He always sticks close to Wakatoshi and says out loud everything Wakatoshi’s signing. He’s also changing his voice almost every time, one time speaking very low and another almost squeaking. "Gotta find one that suits you the most", he explained once.

Semi and Oohira understand everything most of the time. Semi more often asks Wakatoshi to explain some sign to them, and Oohira to repeat what Wakatoshi just said, but slower. The wing spiker still doesn’t know what to think about it.

* * *

In their second year, Wakatoshi, Tendou, Semi and Oohira are in the first squad together. Most of the now second years know at least the basics of sign language, being basically forced to by Tendou, or picking up some words from all their interactions with Wakatoshi. The wing spiker sometimes even sees the redhead talking to other teammates using sign language, to encourage them to learn or test them.

And the first years… there’s one that caught Wakatoshi off guard.

Shirabu Kenjirou, a young setter, introduces himself both verbally and by using sign language. His hands are visibly shaking and he doesn’t understand much when Tendou starts signing at him, but it made Wakatoshi… really happy.

"I’ve chosen this school specifically to be Ushijima-san’s setter," he says. Wakatoshi thinks he could hear Semi’s offended gasp. "I learned sign language a little so we can communicate better…"

For some reason Shirabu looks embarrassed, but Wakatoshi smiles. Tendou doesn’t need to translate that.

Tendou decides to assign Shirabu a nickname _Kitten_.

* * *

The third year feels like a dream to Wakatoshi. Not really because Shiratorizawa is the strongest school in the Miyagi Prefecture, but because now, basically the whole team knows sign language. Wakatoshi’s never dared to even dream about having one friend that knows sign language. Now, he has a whole team.

* * *

He’s sitting on his bed with Satori, both of them snuggled against each other. They’re spending almost every day together now, watching movies, doing homework, reading manga, or just doing nothing at all. Wakatoshi really likes their evenings together.

He pats Satori’s arm, so the redhead looks at him. Satori shifts a little, so he can look at Wakatoshi’s hands.

What he’s about to do is a sudden feeling. He’s never wanted to tell anyone that, but he feels like Satori deserves to know for some reason.

" _It’s because my parents got divorced._ " he moves his hands much slower than usual. " _Or so my therapist says._ "

He doesn’t need to specify what he’s talking about. He knows that Satori knows. The middle blocker knows well about his divorced parents and autism, but Wakatoshi’s never told him that it’s the reason for his muteness. He’s never told that to anyone. But, he feels like he can trust Satori. He never asked about it, just accepting Wakatoshi as he is and it made Wakatoshi feel safe.

" _Thank you for telling me,_ " Satori signs back at him with a soft smile on his lips. Then he snuggles back up against Wakatoshi’s arm.

Wakatoshi has always thought that telling that to someone would be hard. That the other person will start asking about it, wanting Wakatoshi to explain exactly how a divorce can make one mute. Satori didn’t do that.

"I love you, Toshi," Satori mumbles against Wakatoshi’s arm. He doesn’t expect an answer for that. Wakatoshi laying a kiss on the top of Satori’s head is more than enough of an answer. 

* * *

" _Good job, Ace._ " he signs to a smaller boy with a bowl cut after they won a practice match. Goshiki’s face goes red.

"Thank you, sir!" the aspiring ace bows, like Wakatoshi is his teacher.

Goshiki’s a very talented first year wing spiker that, just like Wakatoshi, got to the first squad almost immediately. He said that he wants to defeat Wakatoshi, but as time went on, Wakatoshi noticed that Goshiki sees him more as a mentor to chase, rather than a rival. He’s okay with that. There is something satisfying in watching the boy grow.

Goshiki worms his way into Wakatoshi’s everyday life, as Satori basically decided to adopt the young spiker. He invites Goshiki to their movie nights or treats him to sweets whenever he can. The boy seems to really enjoy that, and honestly Wakatoshi knows how he feels. Satori can make everyone feel loved and cared for.

* * *

" _You should have come to Shiratorizawa._ " he has signed that enough times to Oikawa to know the setter understands it by now. He has been trying to get the boy to transfer to Shiratorizawa for 3 years now after all, after each of their practice matches.

" _Leave me alone finally._ " is the response. But it’s not verbal, like Wakatoshi is used to. Oikawa actually signs to him.

The surprised expression on Wakatoshi’s face clearly makes Oikawa happy.

" _Surprised, Ushiwaka?_ " he asks with a wide grin on his face, the movements of his hands looking like he has been practicing it a lot. "Don’t think it’s for you, though!" Oikawa says, now his hands resting on his hips. "I just thought it may be an useful skill. Annoying you is just a bonus." After saying that, Oikawa turned back and marched away.

Wakatoshi stands there and looks at the setter’s back for a few more seconds.

"It looked like he has been practicing that in front of a mirror for at least 3 weeks," Satori laughs in Wakatoshi’s ear. "Do you think he learned that just for you?"

" _I do not know that._ " And Wakatoshi really does not.

* * *

When Wakatoshi runs into two Karasuno players on the street, he doesn’t expect either of them to know sign language. When he signs to them that he’ll take them to Shiratorizawa if they can keep up with him, he thinks they perhaps deducted that or knew a little and understood enough to get what Wakatoshi meant. Wakatoshi doesn’t really care. He has stopped caring. Some time ago he started to bluntly talk in sign language to people he does not want to talk to, not caring if they understand it or not.

Later, it becomes quite clear that the black haired boy knows sign language, translating everything Wakatoshi said to his smaller friend. But Wakatoshi was not prepared for the redhead to know it as well.

" _I am Hinata Shouyou from the concrete. And I am going to defeat you._ "

Wakatoshi feels a sudden spark in his chest. He knows that feeling. It appears before every game with Oikawa, too. He still thinks that Karasuno is too weak to defeat Shiratorizawa, he doesn’t think that the little _Shrimp_ can compare to him. But he can’t help feeling the little ting of excitement now.

* * *

Shiratorizawa lost. The mighty eagle got defeated by a flock of crows.

Wakatoshi doesn’t blame his team. They all played very well. He doesn’t blame himself, either. He knows he did his best. His best just wasn’t enough.

But that one loss doesn’t dethrone Shiratorizawa, he knows that for sure. He knows Goshiki will take his place as the team’s ace. He knows Shirabu will be an amazing captain. He knows his teammates are strong and talented players. He loves them all.

And even though Satori moved to France, even though he doesn’t see his friends for several years, and even though Shiratorizawa gets defeated by Karasuno each year, it’s still all okay.

**Author's Note:**

> You've made it to the end!
> 
> Also special thanks to my lovely friend [Cinna](https://twitter.com/therealcinnamom) for being my beta <3


End file.
